The Lessons We Lean
by Softrock-showtunesgirlscout22
Summary: Sight AU. Season 5. What if Peter and Olivia had another child? Post. "The bullet that saved the world." Peter knew not everything was lost, he'd lost Etta but he'd be doomed if he'd let them take him away too.
1. Chapter 1

** The Lessons We Learn**

**Slight AU. Season 5. What if Peter and Olivia had another child? Post. "The bullet that saved the world." Peter knew not everything was lost, he'd lost Etta but he'd be doomed if he'd let them take him away too.**

**I own nothing but my imagination and frustration.**

**Chapter 1: The Bullet that saved the world.**

He had heard the gunshots too and ran to aid his sister, in the midst of it all, he caught a glimpse of his parents as he ran past the warehouse, but he had not made it in time, no, he'd watched Windmark murder Etta in front of him.

He remembered the feeling of seeing someone die and what it could do to you, he'd learned that from a very young age, specially in this world, where emotions were so important, human emotions, the same emotions that had made him run towards Windmark and be blasted by something he couldn't really make out. He had been disoriented but managed to crawl back to where his sister was. "Etta" It was a mere whisper as he felt a sharp pain by his side. "Etta?" He said again.

* * *

_2025_

_She was 13, he was 11, she didn't want him to come along, it was way too dangerous, she'd always had this sense of shielding her brother, even though she knew she couldn't do that for much longer, innocence had been long lost to both of them._

_"Stay here." She'd said. He of course had not listened to her, darn it with the stubbornness that ran in the family. There wasn't really much left of their home anymore, he walked around the ruble, he assumed of what had been the second floor until he heard his sister in one of the rooms, he tried to be real quiet as he moved around. He'd opened the door of his old nursery, he figured it was because there was still parts of toys and colored furniture on the ground. He heard something crack beneath him. It was a picture frame. He knelt down to examine it. It was a picture of them. His family, It must have been taken days before the invasion because he was not even a year old when it happened. He was 11 months old. he didn't even get to celebrate his first birthday with Pete-r and Olivia. He looked at the picture. Peter had Etta on his shoulders while Olivia held him._

_"Sam?" He'd frozen on the spot at the sound of his sister's voice_.

* * *

"Sam?" It was Olivia's voice. "Sam, can you hear me?" He opened his eyes slowly, he was on his back, his sister, who was being held by Peter as she uttered her last few words to him, looked at him next.

"You're going to be okay Sam." Etta said. "I love you all so much."

"You are too." He uttered, moving his face so he could smile.

"I'll just slow you down, you have to go." Etta turned to Peter. "You need to leave." Sam let out a sharp breath, he knew how this went. His father continued to tell her everything was going to be okay, but she new it wasn't.

" No. There's no point" Etta said, to aggravate Peter's frustration. "They'll find you, you need to take Sam and go." Peter turned his attention towards him. There was still a child he could save, but he didn't want to have to choose between the two.

"We're not gonna leave you here" Peter turned to Olivia for support, reassurance. something. She looked at Sam instead.

"You have to. You won't make it with me. I'll slow you down. You have to leave." Etta tried again, Sam felt water invade his eyes as the pain he felt no longer had to do with his injuries. He heard his mother said she loved Etta and the feeling was mutual, she knew. Peter sobbed again, he wasn't going to leave her. Not again. But Sam knew, he knew it wasn't up to him, It never had been,

"Peter." There was another voice calling for him, Peter knew . Sam's. It had been easy for Etta to fall into the routine of calling Olivia and Peter mom and dad, but Sam wasn't as easy, his sister had memories, as vague as they might be, it was something familiar to her, Sam had barely managed to utter his first word before being ripped from his parents. Peter knew that too.

"Peter. We need to go son, we need to leave." It was Walter. Sam didn't move. He couldn't not physically nor emotionally, he'd just lost his sister, the only person he'd always been able to count on, he heard Peter sniff as he rose to his feet. "Can you stand?" He was talking to him, his body was screaming not to be moved, but his head was telling them to do it anyway, he nodded slowly as Peter helped him up, he clenched his teeth in pain but made his limbs move anyway,Olivia and Peter held him on either side as they moved outside. Sam glanced back to see his sister's body once more.

They were out before his body gave in. "Sam?" Olivia felt the dead weight of her son's body against her.

"I can't... I thought I could but..." There were tears in his eyes. He'd always been shy and sweet, strong, of course but, a gentle soul in the end.

"What are you talking about?" Peter asked. The boy moved, beneath the layers of clothing you couldn't really see the gash behind his back."We have to keep moving..."

"He thought I was dead, I stayed. held my breath...I thought I'd make it to help Etta, I was wrong." His blue eyes sparkled. "You need to run, they'll catch up with you." He really didn't know why Windmark had not killed him on the spot, He must have known he was still alive, but something had stopped him.

Realization hit Peter again.

"I don't care what I have to do to get you home, I'm not leaving you too." Peter hit the ground next to him. "Look at me Sam." He did. "You just have to promise not to fall asleep and I'll take care of the rest, okay?" His lips were dry as he managed a smile.

"I'm too heavy." Sam muttered. "We'll never make it out." But Peter wasn't having it, he moved his arms under Sam's body to pull him up.

He felt himself being lifted, a 22 year old, he could be as tall as Peter and he still molded against his father like a little boy, Walter and Olivia helped Peter keep balance somehow and he'd still wouldn't put him down.

There was nothing stronger than the human spirit.

* * *

He'd somehow made it to the van, at some point it had taken Olivia to keep her son's eyes open because Sam was slowly loosing his battle staying awake. He knew Olivia had stayed though, held his hand.

Peter drove, occasionally glancing back to watch Olivia and Sam, she was talking to him, even though it was mere whispers."Mom." He'd made that out as Olivia looked over at him.

By the time they made it to the lab, Peter knew it wouldn't be easy to manage Sam and get him trough their new entrance, even though he'd noticed his fever go up from the infection, there was something Peter had not noticed up until that point. The stiffness on his son's lower body. He was behind him though pushing him up to the vent when he noticed this, he could tell Walter had too.

Sam felt cold as his back hit the cold metal of Walter's examination table. He turned his head though to see as Astrid and Olivia began to cut his clothes. He reached to offer his hand to Peter.

"I still don't know how you did it, but thanks for not... giving up on me dad." Peter smiled, he squeezed his hand and brushed his cheek slowly.

"Any time kiddo." That was all he'd heard before the drugs Walter had given him began to kick in. He saw his mom holding his hand as Peter stood beside her, vigilantly.

* * *

_Peter had woken up by the sound of cries coming from the side of the bed, it was the baby's monitor. He turned around to see Olivia, sleeping soundly. He groaned making his way out of bed and into the nursery next door. Sam was wide awake and waling his heart out. Peter picked the baby up gently as he held him to his chest, the crying subsided slowly, Peter felt how Sam's little fist clung to his shirt. "It's okay kiddo, daddy's here."_

* * *

**uh oh. I began to watch Fringe again and my heart couldn't take Josh Jackson and those blue eyes of him being childless so I gave him a child and lots of issues! This will be mostly a story about Walter/Peter/Sam.**

**I do hope you like it!**


	2. Chapter 2

** The Lessons We Learn**

**Slight AU. Season 5. What if Peter and Olivia had another child? Post. "The bullet that saved the world." Peter knew not everything was lost, he'd lost Etta but he'd be doomed if he'd let them take him away too.**

**I own nothing but my imagination and frustration.**

** Chapter 2: children's play**

Peter Bishop never thought of being parent material. He'd lost his mother at a young age and walter was nothing but wrapped up in the problems of the world, some of which he'd caused, to even notice him. That'd been then though, before he'd been able to get to know him, to know the story of how much he'd sacrified to save him.

It had also been oblivious to him, just how much Walter loved him until he'd held his baby, just thinking of Etta stirred so many things in him. The fact that he'd lost so much time with her, of having the chance to be her father. And now she was gone. Because he had failed, he'd been unable to protect her.

Peter snapped his head up at the sound of Sam's weak whimpers and shaking body. Liv had gone to bed already,mostly on his insistence. He could see she was exhausted, emotionally drained and ached for rest, even though she was sure she'd never sleep again. Peter had remained there, in Walter's old room, dryin sweat from his son's forehead, hearing him cry and shake as the drugs that he'd been administrated were wearing off. Walter had been quick, done everything to help Sam but he could see the severity of his injures, even as his grandfather, Walter had been grim about the prognosis. And after what had happened today, he had to admit he wasn't too positive either.

He'd remembered when Olivia had told him about Sam, Sammy as they'd affectionately called him, now Peter didn't think of calling him that and he felt like crying, a lump would form on his throat at the thought of how different he and Etta had reacted after they were all reunited. He didn't believe his son didn't love him, or worse, didn't love Olivia, he didn't know them.

Back then, right that moment when he didn't think he could love his girls more, the prospect of having another child, another half of him and Olivia brought such hope to his heart, the idea of having a little boy to be a role model to.

"Anything?" to his surprise it had been Astrid who'd walked behind him as the door opened. He looked up.

"his fever has gone up and down a few times, but otherwise he's been mostly sleep if you can call it that." he said bitterly, slumping his head back on the chair .

"Well, Walter did say he wasn't sure if th surgery had worked, the first 24 hours are critical. " She offered him a cup of coffee, she'd discovered in Walter's secret stash. Amazingly, it was still consumable. She smiled, examining the look on her friend's face. He looked older, older of what he'd meant to be since he'd been ambered for 20 years. "if he's anything like you and Olivia, which I know he is he's going to pull trough, I am sure of it." Peter smiled as she took his hand.

"Funny how destiny can be so cruel huh?" He said. Astrid didn't know what to say. "He's fought so hard only to have it end this way. " She understood what he'd meant.

"I remember you saying that, not long after he was born." Sam had been premature, Peter had in fact delivered his son, it was one of the most surreal experiences of his life, and that was saying something. He'd held him for dear life, inside of this very room, he was smart,yes,more than most and he'd acted quickly,but even then, Peter didn't think he w as good enough to protect him, not that he'd stopped trying. Paramedics had arrived, much to Walter's dismay but Olivia had insisted she didnt want to take any chances. And Peter remembered the knoknowing look on his father's face. He didn't argue much after that, not right away.


End file.
